Letter to Editor: First Annual Orcas Sustainable Living Fair a Success!

The First Annual Orcas Sustainable Living Fair, which took place in the Orcas Library Park on Saturday May 2 alongside the Farmers Market, was a success!

The rain didn’t hold off completely, but people came over throughout the day to check out what was happening.

The eight groups that had displays at the Fair comprised a good representation of what’s going on here on Orcas. They were:

— Chloe Scott, Christpher Evans and Whitney Hartzell of F.E.A.S.T. (the Farm Education And Sustainability for Teens program)

— Allan Rosato with the Seed Bank

— George Post with The Exchange

— John Mottl with Rainshadow Solar

— Mikial Denker and Alex Brown of Travel Light Cycles (TLC)

— Ted Tidrington and Donovan DeMacy of EcoTone Solutions

— Phil Heikkinen, Bob Connell, Monica Connell, and Samara Shaw of Sustainable Orcas Island (SOI) and WholeIslandsCatalog.net

— Sharon Abreu and Michael Hurwicz of Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education 501(c)(3)

Three scheduled displayers couldn’t make it at the last minute, but hopefully they will be involved next time around.

Kids (and adults) had fun turning the water fountain at Rainshadow Solar’s booth on and off by blocking the solar panel with their hands or bodies. They were surprised to see that the solar panel was using energy from the sun even when the sky was overcast and it was raining.

People were given free vegetable seeds from the Seed Bank, which is encouraging people to grow vegetables at home and save seeds to donate back to the Seed Bank. They learned how to recycle old TVs and computers monitors for free, and options for sustainable landscaping. They also got to try out some shiny rebuilt bicycles and an electric bicycle. Many people picked up a thought-provoking graphic, “Four Energy Futures,” based on information from FutureScenarios.org.

Michael Hurwicz of Irthlingz made a video of the event, interviewing the displayers. That video will be on YouTube once it’s edited, and possibly on other websites as well.

Thanks to the Orcas Library, the San Juan County Parks Department and the San Juan Preservation Trust for the use of the Orcas Library Park. Thanks also to the Friends of the Library for the use of tables and chairs.

Special thanks to Lin McNulty of Primordial Media for donating the poster design and the organizers of the Eastsound Obama Inauguration Party for their donation.

And thanks to all who helped promote and support the event, and to all who came by to check out what was going on.

Sharon Abreu, Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education
Phil Heikkinen, Sustainable Orcas Island